Carrier



Oct. 7, 1947..l I M. G. oTls T AL v 2,428,501

CARRIER Filed Dec-J. 29, 1945 fg; O Elma ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 7, 1947 UNITED ySTATES PATENT OFFICE CARRIER Milton c. ons and oriana J. ons,

New London, Wis.

Application December 29, 1945, Serial No. 638,075

7 Claims.

The invention relates to carriers and more particularly to a box carrier.

In harvesting berry crops the pickers are sometimes provided with carriers which hold several boxes for receiving the berries, and after these are lled, they have to be replaced with empty boxes. In removing the lledv boxes from the usual fixed type carriers, lit frequently happens that berries at the top of the rbox are crushed or bruised, thus detracting from the appearance of the product and making it lessv saleable, and sometimes berries are spilled necessitating replacement. The general object of the present invention is to |provide a carrier in which the top or siding portion thereof may be removed from the bottom portion, thus exposing the Whole ci the lled boxes, so that they can be readily removed Without danger of bruising, crushing, or spilling the Iberries and so that time may be saved by the pickers by providing several interchangeable bottom portions for each carrier.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carrier having a bottom portion and a removable top portion provided with a partition with means for releasably locking the partition to the bottom portion so as to form a unit carrier.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly dened by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a carrier embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detailed vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-.3 of Fig. 1.

The carrier herein shown includes a bottom portion 5 and a siding or top portion S having a medial partition 1 provided with a handle portion 8, and means for detachably securing together said bottom and topportion.

'Ihe bottom portion 5 may be formed of a flat piece 9 of wood or metal having a medially disposed metal strip Ill riveted or otherwise suitably secured thereto and spaced upstanding U-shaped metal keepers or latch-receiving means I I whose legs I2 have angled fbases I3 of less width extending through slots I4 in the strip ID andv bent back against the same and mounted in recesses I5 in the -part 9. The siding portion 6 includes siding I6 of wood or other suitable material suitably secured together and of a height equal to that of a quart berry box B, and the medial partition 1 of Wood is secured to opposite sides of the siding I6.

The lower portion of the partition 1 is cut out as indicated at I1 in Fig. 3 to receive the locking means which is carried by a U-shaped sheet metal plate I8 that is secured to the partition by screws I9 and whose web 20 is cut away to admit the keepers II. Between the sides of the plate I8 a sheet metal latch guide strip -2I is secured by rivets 22 anchored to said sides. A pair of latches 23 are slidaably mounted between the guide strip 2I and the web 20 and are normally urged outwardly into locking engagement with the keepers II by a coiled spring 24 interposed between said latches and seated in recesses 25 therein.

For simultaneously retracting the latches 23, a pull rod 26 is operatively connected to both of them by a pair of bell crank levers 21 pivotally mounted on pins 21 carried by the plate I8. Each latch 23 has a slot 28 with a round opening formed therein to receive the rounded head 29 of one arm of the lever 21. The other arms of the leve-rs 21' are provided with notches 30 to receive the headed end 3| of the rod 26 whose upper end is provided with a handle 32 that may be grasped 'by the. thumb and forenger of the operator and pulled upwardly, thus swinging the notched arms of the levers 21 upwardly and the round headed arms of said levers inwardly, thus moving the latches 21 inwardly out of engagement with the keepers II, the handle 32 being located in a recess 33 adjacent the handle opening 34, so that the same hand of the operato-r is used to both carry the siding carrier on its top portion and release the lock connecting said top and bottom rpo-rtions of the carrier.

The above carrier is adapted to receive four standard quart or pint size berry boxes, and after the picker fills the boxes with the berries or other fruit, the release of the siding portion from the bottom portion and its upward withdrawal therefrom leaves the lled boxes in exposed position on the said bottom portion without touching the boxes, so thatfcrushing, bruising, or spilling of the fruit or breaking of the boxes which may occur where the boxes are lifted out of a onepiece carrier is prevented. Also the boxes may be removed from the carrier in considerably less time than it takes to lift them out of a one piece carrier. Furthermore, several interchangeable bottom portions may be used with a single siding portion, and thus time in handling the Iberries saved as the picker can release his full boxes in a few seconds and place the siding portion thereof on an empty bottom portion returning in a short time to the picking. Thus the device of the in.-

tom to expose said bottom on all sides and the sides of the boxes for handling.

2. In a box carrier of the character described,

the combination of a at bottom portion, a re. v

movable siding portion provided with a handle, and means for detachably securing together said bottom portion and siding portion the removal i' of said siding portion exposing said bottom portion on all sides and leaving the sides of the boxes fully exposed for handling. Y

3. In a box carrier of the character described, the combination of a flat bottom portion, a removable siding portion, and means operable from the siding portion for removably locking said portions together the removal of said siding portionv exposing said bottom portion on all sidesand leaving the sides of the boxes fully exposed for handling.

4. In a carrier of the character described, the combination of a ilat bottom portion, a removable siding portion provided with a handle, means for locking said bottom and sidingportions together, and means accessible from said handle for releasing said locking means.

5. In a carrier of the character described, the combination of a at bottom portion, a removable siding portion having a medial partition provided With a handle, and releasable locking means between said partition and said bottom portion.

6. In a box carrier of the character described, the combination of a flat bottom portion provided with a lock keeper, a removable siding portion provided With a latch engageable with said keeper to releasably secure said bottom and siding portions together therernoyal 4n; saiqsiding. portion exposing said bottom por'l QH., all sides and lea-v ing the sides of the boxes fully exposedfor handling.

' 7. In a carrier of the character described, the .combination With a bottom portion provided with spaced keepers, a siding portion having a, medial 'partition provided Iwith a handle, a pair ofV spring pressed latches mounted in said partitionV and normally engageable with said keepers, and means` .accessible from the handle for simultaneously withdrawing said latches from engagement With said keepers. n

G. OTIS. ORLAND J. OTIS,

- REFERENCES Verrati) The following references are of record nle of this patent;

UMTED spams ,aar-Erre z abe1 g Aug. 4, 71,942 

